The Golden State Warriors notched a huge victory on Thursday night, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 100-92 to move into a three-way tie with the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference standings. Because of the tiebreakers, the Warriors moved past the Lakers and into the ninth seed, but still need to gain a game on Sacramento to climb into the eighth seed.
The Warriors, who were playing without Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, didn’t exactly earn style points for their win, as they needed a fourth-quarter comeback. But a win is a win is a win ... especially this time of year.
Now let’s grade the players. As always, grades are based on my expectations of each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. League-average TS this year is 58.0%.
Jonathan Kuminga
34 minutes, 19 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 turnovers, 4 fouls, 7-for-11 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, 4-for-4 free throws, 74.5% TS, +8
Kuminga returned to the starting lineup with Green sidelined, and there was a lot to like about what he did. He did an admirable job at the impossible task of trying to replace Draymond’s defense. And the way he inflicted his athleticism and will to get easy buckets was absolutely critical, especially late in the game.
There was also a lot to dislike. He helped set the tone for a sloppy night with two early turnovers, and added two more later. He sometimes struggled to defend without fouling. He occasionally stagnated the offense.
Still, the Dubs don’t win without JK’s scoring.
Grade: B+
Trayce Jackson-Davis
27 minutes, 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 4 blocks, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 3-for-4 shooting, 4-for-4 free throws, 86.8% TS, -11
TJD has turned into a block machine, and it’s pretty damn fun to watch — he has 11 swatted shots in his last three games. I loved the defense Jackson-Davis played on Deandre Ayton. Ayton ultimately got his, leading all scorers with 25 points, but he needed 24 shots to get there ... and the shots he did make fell more into the category of impressive than easy.
Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.
Andrew Wiggins
30 minutes, 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls, 5-for-12 shooting, 3-for-8 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 58.2% TS, -11
Like Kuminga, Wiggins started off the game with a pair of turnovers as the Warriors got off to a dreadful start. But he settled in as the game went on, and quietly had a quality scoring game. It wasn’t his most impactful defensive game though, and, like many of the Warriors, a little more urgency would’ve been nice given the stakes of the game.
Grade: B-
Post-game bonus: Tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.
Chris Paul
32 minutes, 8 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 3-for-9 shooting, 2-for-6 threes, 44.4% TS, +3
Paul was absolutely phenomenal in the closing minutes, and was essential to the team shutting the door on a very pesky Portland team that Golden State is happy to not see again this year. That said, he was having a pretty poor game prior to those crucial final moments.
Grade: B-
Steph Curry
36 minutes, 22 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 8-for-22 shooting, 5-for-16 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, 49.0% TS, +7
A mighty fine statistical game for Curry, as long as you don’t look at the shooting percentages. And I think we can say with certainty that Steve Kerr was hoping to not have to play Steph 36 minutes on the front end of a back-to-back, especially given how critical Friday’s contest is.
Like CP3, Curry struggled for much of the game, but showed up in a massive way when it matters most. I’m not really sure how to grade that, honestly, especially when you account for how good his playmaking was all game long.
Grade: B-
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points and assists.
Dario Šarić
6 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 0-for-1 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 0.0% TS, +4
Šarić returned to the court on Thursday, playing in his first game since March 20, and playing his first meaningful minutes in an even longer time. Great to see him out there, and he looked comfortable.
Grade: B
Kevon Looney
21 minutes, 9 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 4 blocks, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 4-for-6 shooting, 1-for-2 free throws, 65.4% TS, +19
What an absolutely phenomenal game by Looney. He gets the game ball without a second thought. You really can’t put to words how impressive or admirable it is that Looney stays so ready, even when he’s fallen out of the rotation. A true professional ... and a damn good basketball player, as evidenced by this game.
Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds, best plus/minus on the team.
Moses Moody
21 minutes, 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 2-for-3 shooting, 1-for-1 threes, 3-for-6 free throws, 70.9% TS, +8
In a game where it seemed like the Warriors didn’t always realize what was at stake, Moody played every minute like he cared. I think you can say that about every game that Moody has played in this year. He brings urgency and commitment every time out.
Sometimes that leads to a few more turnovers or fouls than is necessary, but it almost always leads to a positive impact, too.
Grade: B+
Brandin Podziemski
33 minutes, 9 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 foul, 4-for-9 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, 47.7% TS, +13
It’s amazing how many things Podz does correctly on the court, especially for a rookie who didn’t spend four years in college. He’s both fearless and makes good decisions, and is equally comfortable taking a big shot and not scoring at all. The team just plays well — and at a delightful pace — when Podziemski is on the court.
Grade: A
Thursday’s DNP-CDs: Usman Garuba, Lester Quiñones, Jerome Robinson, Gui Santos, Pat Spencer
Thursday’s inactives: Draymond Green, Gary Payton II, Klay Thompson
